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Nice performance AND lesson. I had no idea that you studied with Lennie Tristano. There must be stories that you could tell...

But to business--May I ask you more about a subject that you touch on in this lesson--using swing eighth notes and triplets? This is elementary, I suppose. But are there guidelines about how and where to include the triplets and how they can vary the melodic line? I find that I can play a triplet starting on the second eighth note (the "York" in "New York," if I may borrow your phrase) or on the "New," but that of course means that the last note in the triplet becomes either the down or up beat of the next pair of eighth notes. For shorter phrases, this is not a problem, but on longer phrases, the brain or hands get confused and as I experiment with starting the triplet from the first or second eighth note, I can get a lost, or simply stop sounding melodic.

Are the exercises, in your book or elsewhere, that you could point me to? Preferably with audio or audio and visual. I sightread slowly and unless I hear the intended phrasing, I'm often not sure on extended lines if I am playing what the staff says to play.

Nice work Dave! I remember a year+ ago or so one of your vids popped up next to another bass line vid I was trying to listen/learn something from and I thought jeepers, I like that one a lot (0:45 - 1:20 below). Jazz is pretty much over my head, but I like working with rhythm. This isn't that same tape, but it's the same bass line.

Try improvising slowly (perhaps 76) and intend for the Spirit to lead you into the proper relationship between 1/8ths and triplets. If you slow down and listen, it will fall into place for you. The triplets can go anywhere, it's all intuitive, otherwise the cerebral approach is bound to confuse..

Try improvising slowly (perhaps 76) and intend for the Spirit to lead you into the proper relationship between 1/8ths and triplets. If you slow down and listen, it will fall into place for you. The triplets can go anywhere, it's all intuitive, otherwise the cerebral approach is bound to confuse..

try combining the words "New York" "Tennessee" in any logical way that occurs to you during slow improvising. It will fall into place. Or imagine Sammy Davis doing a slow jazz tap dance and each of his steps becomes one of your notes..

A trip to your nearest drugstore might help, ask the guy behind the counter)To break this snag, just flow for awhile before bringing a triplet in..Slice of Pizza (feeling in 4's) a few times, get a nice feel in 4's 1/8th note line going for 2-3 bars, then sprinkle a few triplets in here and there..if you'd like I can meet with you on skype free and we can work this out..

A trip to your nearest drugstore might help, ask the guy behind the counter)To break this snag, just flow for awhile before bringing a triplet in..Slice of Pizza (feeling in 4's) a few times, get a nice feel in 4's 1/8th note line going for 2-3 bars, then sprinkle a few triplets in here and there..if you'd like I can meet with you on skype free and we can work this out..

DF

Wow. Thanks. I would like to do this, obviously, but I'm not set up on Skype, and I have a full plate right now. I'll have to investigate Skype and see what it will take to get configured, etc.